Flying Free
by Rosethorn
Summary: This is the story of a female Anakin, but, she isn't Forcesensitive, and there were no Jedi to save her...


Flying Free

The Story of Ana Likochen

as told to an unwilling Han Solo

You may have heard that Anakin Skywalker is the only human alive who can Podrace. 

You're wrong. 

He's not the only one. I can do it too, but not because I'm a Jedi. Hah! Far from it! I am a slave. No one important. 

But I can Podrace.

I can't remember when I wasn't a slave. I wasn't Watto's, I was Jabba's. _He_ didn't know I could Podrace (like I'd even tell that stunted slime). If I had, I'd probably be a lot more important to him. As it is, all I do is cook. I'm forty-seven, in case you don't know. Not a lot younger then Anakin would be. It's been thirty-three years since I learned to fly a Pod. 

And in a way, it's all thanks to him. Anakin Skywalker built a Pod and won the Boonta Race. Now as it happened, I was seven then. My mother had just died and left me with all the money she'd ever saved, hoping to buy her freedom, or mine. I used it to buy Anakin's Pod.

No doubt she'd hate me. But really, if you think about it, I was only trading one kind of freedom for another. The freedom to fly.

The first time I ever flew that Pod, I nearly crashed it. Thankfully, I wasn't going fast at all, and I saw the rock formation in time. But I knew from the start that this was something I never needed a teacher for. This was something I could do on my own, something I had that no one else did. From then on, I flew my Pod at night, and it was sheer joy. 

You can't really appreciate the feeling. You've never been a slave. All you know is freedom. But I had never been outside the palace except with Jabba. If it hadn't been for the fact that Anakin and the Jedi sold the Pod right after the race, I would never have gotten it. You don't know. You don't understand how it is to be cooped up inside all your life, then all of a sudden, flying free, with the wind in your hair and this wonderful, faithful machine carrying you wherever you want to go.

Eh. I'm getting maudlin. 

The point is I learned to fly, and that flying my Pod kept me sane. My Pod. I liked the sound of that once. When I was young. But when I was young, I had all sorts of visions of how some mysterious do-gooder would come to the palace and free us all. But that's never going to happen. I was young and idealistic then, I'm old and cynical now. 

Don't give me that lip, young man. You're young enough to be my son, and helpless enough for me to whip you like my son. 

I suspect you must have felt that way about something at some time in your life. You know, the feeling you get, that something's your freedom, your entire reason for living? 

Never mind.

Still here, are you? I must confess, I thought you'd be rancor food by now. But then, I've always been known for my misjudgment. 

What's that? No, my boy, I won't be rancor food. I've been here for forty-four years. Jabba's not going to change cooks after that long until I am food. 

Heh. Sorry to disappoint you. 

What? No. I won't tell you anything. She's safe, I promise, but that's all I can say. Any other questions?

Do I still have what? Speak up, youngster, I'm going a bit deaf. 

Ah. My Pod. Yes, of course I do. My Pod is my sanity. Of course I still have it.

Will I what? No, I won't consider that. For one thing, the Pod is a one person vehicle. For another...No, it wouldn't fit even if you squeezed. The cockpit was built for a ten-year-old boy. It wouldn't fit two adults. I can barely fit as it is.

I'd better go. You're getting altogether too annoying. 

Good morning!

Yes, it is morning. I should know, I was just outside. 

Eh? What was that? Oh. Now, now, you know there haven't been any Jedi here since young Skywalker left. 

No, his name was Anakin. I've never heard of this Luke person. 

His son? I wouldn't know. Anakin was just nine when he left this godforsaken planet. He never came back. I wouldn't know if he had children.

Good thing for me he left, too. If I hadn't gotten that Pod...Never you mind where it is. It's safe. 

I am not getting long-winded, my boy. You want long-winded, you go talk to that Ephant Mon. Full of himself, he is, and he'll go on and on...Ah yes. The Pod. 

I still fly it, you know. Late at night when no one's about. I just disable my transmitter and go. 

Why don't I run away? 'Cause it's too risky. I'd never get off the planet before Jabba found me. He likes my cooking, anyway, so I'm safe for a good long while. 

What happens when I'm not safe? I'll fly that canyon when I come to it, boy. 

Hello. 

Before you say anything, you should know that young Jedi's here. All in black, he is, and a sight for sore eyes!

Well, of course I know you can't see. I was referring to mine. You'll be all right. 

Hey! Get your carpet out of my face! Wookies...

What? That didn't make any sense, boy.

Oh, you were talking about that feeling. That was three days ago, boy, my memory's not as good as it could be. 

Yes. Well, I knew you'd had it. That's how I feel about my Pod, boy. It keeps me sane. It's my freedom. 

Yeah. I knew you knew.

Whoops! I hear guards. Ten to one they're for you. Guess this is goodbye, boy. Unless he has your brain taken out. 

Of course he can do that! The monks here do that all the time. You've seen those spider things? Those are disembodied brains. One of them's a smuggler Jabba the House got tired of. 

Nah, he probably won't do that to you. More likely it's the rancor. Or the Sarlacc, there's always the Sarlacc. Jabba likes the Sarlacc, he does. 

Well, good luck and have fun with whatever's left of your life.

~A Year Later~

Hey! Hey, boy!

Remember me? 

I guess I have a lot to thank you for. You did kill that fat slug. 

Oh? She did? Well, still. 

Yes, I am that famous Podracer you heard about. My trusty Pod's still going strong, and not about to die on me. I love that Pod of mine. 

What? Well, glad to hear it. Spend those credits well, my friend. 

Nah. I'll keep racing. It's too much fun to stop. There's nothing quite like it, my friend, nothing at all. Not even flying a starship, cause you're not on the ground, and not in immediate danger of crashing.

Well. Maybe if you're flying through an asteroid field.

Hell no, I'm not still cooking for a living. Just for myself. My Pod sure makes my day without any food required. 

Really? A general? Huh. Guess that shows how little they know out there.

I was joking! Blast it. You boys are always so jumpy. 

Well, I have to get back to the track and make sure those oafs don't break my Pod. I'll be seeing you, boy. And if I don't, well, tough luck. 

I resent that. 

Huh. I'm sure. 

Boy, you just don't appreciate what it means to me to finally be flying free. 

A/N: So what do you think? 

This just kinda sprung itself on me when I was playing that Podracer game for Macs. So I obeyed the plot bunnies and wrote it. Now appreciate my efforts and review. 


End file.
